Family Lore: Jiggle the Handle

     They say that the cobbler’s children have no shoes, etc. Well, we grew up in the plumber’s house, and for a while, we plumber’s children had a toilet that never stopped running. We all learned early on how to change faucet washers, replace toilet parts, replace electrical switches, etc., but before that, the fix was simple:  You had to jiggle the toilet handle and the running would stop.  One kid or another would be told, “Go jiggle the handle.”

     Another of the kids’ chores was to pour Milly and Vake a cup of coffee after dinner.

     During those years, Sandy was a notorious day-dreamer. She had imaginary friends that she talked to. The first was “Buckley,” until the insurance agent came calling, and his name was Mr. Buckley. After that, the imaginary one was “Orlorch.” Perhaps she was just bored with all of us, real or imaginary, because without saying a word,  Sandy could start day-dreaming and “go into a trance.”

     We were sitting around the dinner table one evening when Sandy was in a trance. Milly said “Sandy, how about a cup of coffee?"  Sandy got up, walked to the far end of the house to the bathroom, and jiggled the toilet handle.It never mattered after that what the order was supposed to be:  Milly would say, “Sandy, go jiggle the handle.”